Tooth paste dispenser



R. ISIDORE Er A1.-

` TOOTH PASTE DISPENSER Filed Aug. 22, 1939 I @14mg ma L BY aman. f

/ ATTORNEY.

IN VENTOR.

Patented June 4, 1940 Raymond Isidore, Millvale, and William D. Faltz,

Irwin, Pa.; said Faltz assignor to said Isidore Application August 22, 1939, Serial No. 291,397

4 Claims.

Our invention relates to toothpaste dispensers.

One object of our invention is to provide a simple dispenser for manipulating a collapsible tube to dispense measured amounts of toothpaste or other similar products that are sold in collapsible tubes.

Another object of our invention is to provide a simple cabinet structure within which the collapsible tube and the dispensing mechanism may =1'0 be enclosed.

Another object of our invention is to provide a winding mechanism to compress the collapsib-le tube and to feed `a measured quantity at each opration.

' Oui-'invention generally contemplates means 'for supporting a collapsible tube with its flattened `end anchored in a winding pressure mechanism which maybe operated with a step by step movement to progressively compress and flatten 'the tube and wind it upon a compressing and winding roller mechanism.

The winding roller mechanism is so constructed as'to constitute'a iioating assembly of a winding roller and a cooperating pressure roller between 2 5 which the tube is progressively attened to exlpress the material from the mouth of the tube. 'A suitable ratchet mechanism is operated by a handle to impart rotary movement to the Winding roller, and as the winding roller and its co-op- 30 erating pressure roller progressively compress and flatten the tube the oatingassembly of the two rollers moves along the body of the tube towards vthe neck.

' The winding mechanism is supported between two side walls of a cabinet which serves both as a guide for the winding mechanism and as an enclosure for the mechanism end of the tube.

'Ihe construction of the dispensing device that embodies our invention is illustrated in the ac- 0 companying drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a development of the side wall o f the cabinet;

' Figure 2 is a front elevational View of the cabinet and the dispensing roller assembly with the ldoor of the cabinet shown open;

Figure 3 isa side view of the cabinet with part of the side wall broken away to show the winding and the pressure of rollers;

vFigure 4 is a side elevational view of the other ,'50 side of the cabinet at which the operating handle for the rollers is located; f Figure 5 .is a bottom view of the cabinet showging the opening for the neck and the lock cam Afor the neck of the tube;

5,5 Figure 6 is an enlarged front elevational view of the winding roller showing the longitudinal eccentric slot;

Figure '7 is a schematic transverse View of the winding and the pressure rollers to illustrate the slot location in the winding roller and the normal I? relative location of the roller axes;

Figure 8 is a transverse sectional view through the rollers along the plane indicated by the line 8 8 in Figure 2;

Figure 9 is an enlarged front elevational viewil of the operating handle for the main winding roller;

Figure 10 is an enlarged side elevational view of the handle and ratchet operating device of the assembly in Figure 9 mounted on the outer end '11,5 of the main winding roller on the outside of "the cabinet. f

' As shown in Figure 1 of the drawing, the main body of the cabinet is formed from an oblong metal stamping Il) provided with two slots II and 52,0

I2 to serve as guide slots in the side wall of the cabinet, and the stamping is further provided with two flange sections I3 and I4 to serve as tracks or reaction surfaces on the back wall of the cabinet, as will be subsequently explained. The two end sections I5 and I6 of the stamping I0 are arranged to be folded along the lines I 'I and I8, and to be welded or otherwise suitably joined to each other along the extreme edges I9 and 20. An opening 2I in the end of the stamp- ,-30 ing I0 serves to receive the neck 22 of a tube 23 from which material is to be dispensed, asillustrated in Figure 3.

The stamping I0, when formed, constitutes the main body structure of the cabinet 25 in Fig- E335 ure 2. A door 23 is secured to the body of the cabinet by suitable hinges 2l and 28.

The mechanism for compressing the tube 23 to express the material from the neck comprises a main winding roller 30 and a co-operating roller, .0 3|.

The winding roller, as illustrated in Figures 6 and '1, has a main body portion 32 containing an eccentric slot 33 parallel to, but slightly displaced from a longitudinal axial plane. The por- ,4,5 tion 34 adjacent the lower side edge of slot 33 is slightly cammed to provide a slight dpression to receive the rst part of the end of the tube adjacent the attened end which is to t into the The winding roller 30 isfurther provided with two shafts 35 and 36, the latter being somewhat longer than the shaft 35 to provide space for supporting an operating handle for the roller.

The pressure roller 3| is longer than-the main V.455

-tion where it will be vas body portion 32 of the winding roller 30. The ends of the pressure roller are supported in roll bearings 38 and 39 that are so spaced on the pressure roller 3| as to be located so the roll bearings will roll upon the tracks I3 and I4 at the back of the cabinet.

As shown in more detail in Figure 8, the pressure roller 3l is yieldingly supported at and by the lowervend of two saddle springs 40 and 4I, the upper ends of which are anchored on anchoring pins 42 and 43 on bearing supports for the winding roller 30.

The arrangement between the winding and the pressure rollers is illustrated in Figurev 7, and lis such that the axis of the pressure roller should always to be below the horizontal plane through the axis of the winding roller. The manner in which that relationship is maintained is more clearly illustrated in the view shown in Figure 8.

As shown in Figure 8, the roll bearings 38 and 39 rest against, and roll on, the track sections I3 and I4 in the back of the cabinet. At the same.

time, the yielding saddle springs tend to hold the pressure roller 3I in its uppermost possible posiclose to the winding roller as conditions will permit, depending upon whether any part of the tube is already wound upon the winding roller, and also uponhow much of the tube is wound upon the windingv roller. The operating direction-of rotation of the winding roller'30 is indicated by the arrow 45 above the winding roller in Figure 8. When the winding roller is voperatively rotated counter-clockwise, as indicated in'Figure 8, the reaction upon -the pressure roller 3| is such as to rotate the pressure roller clockwise. The rotation of the pressure roller in a clockwise direction tends to vmove that roller upwards along the Aback tracks I3 and I4. At the same time, however, as the 'winding roller rotates counter-clockwise and winds part of the tube 23 upon the roller, the winding roller itself will move downward since the lower end of the tube 23 is anchored in the lower wall of the cabinet. As the winding roller 3D moves downward in the guide slots II and I2, the reaction pressure against the pressure roller 3I will cause the pressure roller to rotate in its roll bearings 38 and 39 and the entire assembly, includingthe guide roller and the pressure roller, will move downward. The successful operation of this device depends upon the axis of the pressure roller being below the horizontal plane through the axis of the winding roller at all times. f

The other'mechanical and structural details for the winding mechanism may now be considered.

' 'Ihe winding roller 30 is supported between two -bearing supports 41 and 48 that fit over the end shafts 35 and 36 of the winding roller. Two

springs 49 and 58 are disposed between the bearing supports 41 and -48 and the end faces 5I and 52 of the winding roller 30. The two springs 49 and 50 thus tend to maintain the winding roller substantially centralized between the bearing supports 41 and 48, and also serve to press the bearing supports against the inner surfaces of the side walls of the cabinet with a slight force that is suflcient to establish a light friction to hold the winding roller and its assembly in position 'against casual displacement by gravity.

v'Ihe end of the shaft 35 extend's'through the bearing support 41 into the slot I2. The other shaft 36 extends through the bearingsupport 48 'and through the slot vII to provide a portion of provided with an oval recess to permit a sliding t over the oval boss on the bearing support 48. The bearing plate 56 is thus supported on, and moves with the bearing support 48.

The top part of the bearing plate 56 is provided with an arcuate slot 5'1 to receive a stop pin 58 mounted on the inner surface of the handle 55 to limit the extent of arcuate movement of the handle 55, and consequently the extent of rotation of the winding roller 30 in response to each movement of the handle 55.

A return biassing spring 59 is anchored at one end on the plate 56, and its other end is connected to, or pressed against the pin 58 in the handle to return it to its initial position after each operation.

Forward or clockwise rotation of the handle 55 will tighten the clutch roller 5'4 on the shaft 36, and will rotate the winding roller 30 forwardly through an angle corresponding to the angle subtended by the arc 51 in the bearing plate 56.

When the handle 55 is released, the biassing spring 59 returns the handle 55 to its initial or back position, with the stop pin 58 in the left end or back end of the arcuate slot 51. During such resetting movement of the handle 55, the ratchet roller 54 releases the shaft 36 and resumes its initial position without rotating the winding roller 30.

Thus, as forward actuationof the handle 55 imparts a short angular movement to the winding roller through the ratchet cam roller 54, and as the winding roller 30 rolls up the collapsible tube 23 on the winding roller, the entire structure, including the winding roller 3D, the pressure roller 3I and the handle, moves downward between the two guide slots II and I2.

In Figure 5, we have illustrated one simple type of cam 60 to lock the neck 22 of the collapsible tube in position against a notched plate 6I' adjacent the opening 2 I, through which the neck of the tube extends to permit the material in the tube to be dispensed without opening the cabinet.

A bracket 65 on the rear surface of the cabinet door 26 may be used as a support for the tooth brushes. Suitable openings in the back wall of the -cabinet are provided for anchoring screws.

The cabinet thus serves not only as an enclosure for the collapsible tube from which the material is to be disposed, but also serves as part of the operating mechanism by means of which the' tube may be progressively compressed to express the material from the tube.

Our invention is not limited to any specic details that are illustrated, since modications might be made in the structural details thereof without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

We claim as our invention:

1. A tooth-paste dispenser comprising two oatingly mounted co-operating pressure rolls, one having aplongitudinal eccentric slot therein, bearing wheels for the second roller to permit relative rotary and joint translatory movement of the second roller, reaction track means for the second roller, and means for rotating the main slotted roller.

2. A tooth-paste dispenser comprising a cabinet having a vertical slot in each side Wall to constitute co-operating guideways, a main roller in the cabinet and having end shafts extending out through the wide wall slots to guide the roller, floating bearings for the roller shafts and springs between the roller end faces and the bearings to press the bearings against the side-walls of the cabinet, a slot in the main roller to receive the flattened end of a collapsible tube, a pressure roller resiliently supported upon the main roller, and relatively rotatable bearing wheels on the ends of the pressure roller and beyond the ends of the body of the main roller to permit relatively rotary and joint translatory movement 0f the main roller and the pressure roller, and a uni-directional handle for the slotted main roller.

3. A dispenser of the characters described, comprising a cabinet to enclose a collapsible tube whose contents are to be dispensed, an opening in the bottom wall through which the tube neck may extend, gripping means on the wall and adjacent the opening to anchor the tube neck, a guide slot in each side wall of the cabinet, a winding roller for the tube and having a shaft at each end to extend into each guide slot, a slot in the winding roller to receive the flattened end o! a, collapsible tube, a pressure roller to co-operate with the winding roller, and a roll bearing for each end of the pressure roller, the roll bearings engaging and rolling on and against the back wall of the cabinet, and a one-way actuating handie for the winding roller.

4. In a dispenser of the character described, a cabinet with a back wall and with side walls provided with vertical guide slots, a winding roller with shafts in the guide slots, a pressure roller between the winding roller and the back wall, and roll bearings for the pressure roller, the roll bearings riding on the back wall which serves as a reaction surface, the dimensions of the winding roller, of the pressure roller and the roll bearings being so related, to the space between the guide slots and the back wall, that the axis of the pressure roller is always below the axis of the winding roller.

RAYMOND ISIDOBE. WILLIAM D. FALTZ. 

